Although the schedule for the Knicks-Raptors first-
round playoff series won't be officially announced until
today or Thursday, the Bergen RECORD's Steve Adamek writes
that NBA officials "acknowledge they plan to stretch it out
as long as three weekends to accommodate television's desire
to showcase the large-market Knicks against" Raptors F Vince
Carter (Bergen RECORD, 4/19). USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke
writes that NBC, whose regular-season NBA ratings "have
struggled, received mixed signals from last weekend as the
playoffs approach." Sunday's T'Wolves-Lakers game attracted
a "respectable" 4.1 Nielsen rating, but the 2.4 for
Saturday's Jazz-Spurs game "added evidence to reducing
Saturday night's schedule next season" (USA TODAY, 4/19).
HOPING IT TURNER-S AROUND: Turner Senior VP Kevin
O'Malley, whose net has seen regular-season NBA ratings drop
24% this season: "We've always done well on the playoffs,
regardless of the level of the regular season. Obviously,
you get concerned, but in the 16 years we've done the NBA,
we've seen our share of dips and spikes, and this sort of
dip is an aberration for the most part. I don't think it
can be attributed to any one factor. But I do think what we
are seeing, and not just in the NBA, is the increasing
difficulty in making people see the importance of regular-
season games" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 4/19).
